News  31

News

OLTC Scan on
Power Transformers
New dynamic resistance measurement ­function
for the CPC 100

Dynamic Resistance Measurement (DRM) is a new method which can be performed as a

­supplementary measurement in order to analyze the switching process of an on-load tap changer
(OLTC) on power transformers. By using this non-invasive testing method, failures can be detected
without opening the OLTC compartment. As a result, the reliability of the OLTC can be improved,
maintenance costs can be reduced and most of all, unexpected and expensive OLTC and power
transformer outages can be avoided.

OLTCs are an important component of a power transformer. As its Reasons for transformer failures in %
name suggests an OLTC permits tap changing and hence volt-
age regulation without interrupting the load current. This can Coil 34

be accomplished in various ways, resulting in considerably di- OLTC 26

versified tap changer designs. The two most common ones Tank 21
are the so called inductive and resistive type tap changers.
Bushing 20

Others 19.5
Studies show that about 26 % of all reported ­outages
Core 5
are related to the aging effects on OLTCs. Due to this
high failure rate, it is very important to monitor the
0 10 20 30 40
­condition of the power transformer’s OLTC closely.
Transformer failure statistics (Viereck, Hillinger, Transform 2011)
Unlike other more static components in a transformer, the OLTC
consists of numerous moving parts. Manufacturers typically
­recommend a maintenance cycle that mostly depends on the total
number of switching operations. Operating times below 100 ms

  Magazine | Volume 7 Issue 1 2016

32  News

make it difficult to detect any effects during the switching p

­ rocess
using a conventional static winding resistance measurement.
­The DRM principal was developed in order to address this issue.
Static vs. dynamic winding resistance measurement
A conventional static resistance measurement can be used to
check the winding as well as all of the internal connections, such
as the connection from the bushings to the windings, the wind-
ings to the tap changer, the contacts of the tap selector and the
main contacts of the diverter switch. An assessment can be made
by comparing the results with the factory report or by calculating
the deviation from the average of the three phases.
The static winding resistance measurement does not measure
the switching process of the diverter switch itself. Therefore, the
dynamic resistance measurement of the OLTC can be used as a
supplementary diagnostic method to gain insight into the fast
switching process of the diverter switch.
By using DRM you can detect the mechanical wear and tear of
contacts, leads and commutating resistors. These failure modes
can be observed by variations in switching times and current
slope or, in some cases, interruption of the test current.
DRM with the CPC 100
The latest 3.40 software version of the CPC 100 Toolset and
­Primary Test Manager™ (PTM) includes the new “OLTC scan”
­function, which allows you to perform DRM with the
CPC 100 + CP SB1 test system.
When performing DRM, the CPC 100 + CP SB1 system injects
a DC current in the same way that it does for static winding
­resistance measurements. Unlike the static resistance measure-
ment, the “OLTC scan” function records the current signal ­during
the entire switching process from one tap to the other. The
measurement includes the entire range of the tap positions for all
three phases, both upwards and downwards.

Current
Winding Resistance per Tap
1
0.33 Ohm

0.28 Ohm
3

0.23 Ohm
2
4

0.18 Ohm

1 2
0.13 Ohm
Taps 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25

Phase A Phase B Phase C

R R R R
A B A B
Static winding resistance measurement of a transformer ­including all
tap positions and the switching process in detail by using DRM.

  Magazine | Volume 7 Issue 1 2016

 News  33

Analysis and comparison of test results with PTM

The Primary Test Manager™ (PTM) shows the switching
­process of the individual taps in a single diagram so that they
can be compared amongst each other easily. As the current
­signatures of many OLTC designs may vary by their phase
and ­switching ­direction, the PTM software offers unique filter
­criteria for ­analyzing measurement results for a comprehensive
­failure ­diagnosis.
CPC 100 + CP SB1
You can download the latest 3.40 software version for the CPC 100 >> Fast, automated testing of three-phase transfor-
Toolset and Primary Test Manager™ free-of-charge from the cus- mers (ratio, winding resistance, OLTC condition,
tomer area on the OMICRON website. short circuit impedance)
>> Eliminates need for time-consuming rewiring
­between the tests
>> Enables quick discharging of transformers
>> Demagnetizes transformers reliably
>> Automated reporting of important transformer
parameters

 www.omicronenergy.com/cpc100

Time

3 4

R R R R
A B A B
The Primary Test Manager™ (PTM) shows the ­switching
­process of the ­individual taps in a single diagram.

  Magazine | Volume 7 Issue 1 2016